


How To Be A Better Kisser

by Butterfly_girl



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 19:30:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14837810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Butterfly_girl/pseuds/Butterfly_girl
Summary: When a storm interrupts Gladio's run, he finds himself at Prompto's apartment.Written for Gladio Fluff Week Day 7





	How To Be A Better Kisser

Gladio pulled the key out of his pocket and stared at it for a few moments as if it was something he’d never seen before in his life. When he’d asked Prompto to get a spare key cut for him- for emergencies only- this wasn’t exactly the type of emergency he’d had in mind. He’d been thinking of Noct, as he always did, and the amount of time he spent round Prompto’s apartment. Sometimes it felt like he was there for days on end, only returning home for a change of clothes or an important meeting. Gladio understood why and, although he would never say this to anyone, didn’t blame him- he knew it must be difficult being the Crown Prince, having so many responsibilities weighing on his shoulders. It was no wonder he escaped to Prompto’s whenever he could these days. 

But Gladio also knew that it was his duty to protect him, to be there whenever he was needed, and if, gods forbid, there ever _was_ some kind of emergency, he needed a way to make sure he could get to him quickly. Having a key to what was essentially Noct’s ‘second home’ just seemed sensible.

Predictably, Noct had been annoyed he’d even suggested it, accusing him of being over protective and never letting him do anything on his own. He’d quickly dropped the idea, not wanting it to become an argument in the way that so many of their conversations seemed to, telling them both not to worry about it, that he’d find another way of getting in if he needed to. They hadn’t discussed it again all evening; they’d had dinner as normal- the chatter easy and lighthearted- and Prompto had even managed to rope Gladio into playing some King’s Knight. The incident seemed to have been all but forgotten, which made it even more of a surprise when, a few days later, Prompto had presented Gladio with a key, slipping it towards him under the table and shaking his head when he’d opened his mouth to ask about it, the expression on his face enough to tell him that Prompto didn’t want Noct to know about it. 

Gladio had never used it, never had a reason to, but now here he was, standing at Prompto’s front door, key in hand, wondering whether it would be wrong for him to let himself in. He knocked again, louder this time and with more desperation. It was silent. Either Prompto wasn't home or- more likely- he had his headphones on and was listening to music, probably too engrossed in something to even hear the door. 

He shivered, crossing his arms across his chest in an attempt to retain what little body heat he had left. When he’d set out for his run, the evening had been simply dark and overcast and, at most, he’d expected to be caught in a light rain shower- nothing that would bother him too much. But a couple of miles in, the shower had become a wall of water, a downpour heavier than any Gladio had ever seen, leaving his clothing soaked through and clinging to his skin. The flash river that ran down the street gushed over the tops of his running shoes so that his feet squelched with each step that he took and now, as he stood there, droplets of water running down his face, hair plastered across his forehead, water was beginning to seep in through the stitching leaving his feat soaked and uncomfortable.

Normally, Gladio wasn’t somebody to let a little rain bother him but, then again, this was more than just a little rain. He looked down at the key that sat in the palm of his hand. It wasn’t what it was supposed to be used for but…. A bright light in the corner of his vision cut through his thoughts- a brilliant shock of white in the graphite sky, forking silently to the unsuspecting ground. A low rumbling followed soon after, the sound like church bells pealing in the distance, the untamed power reverberating and echoing across the sky. Looking up, Gladio became aware of how dark it was, the thick, grey clouds a blanket blocking out the sun completely now. 

There was a second flash of lightning and a roar of thunder, louder and closer than the last and, this time, Gladio didn’t hesitate, lifting up the key and shoving it into the lock. Desperate times called for desperate measures. And there was no way he was going to attempt to make his way home in the middle of a storm, especially one which seemed to be getting worse by the minute. 

“Blondie? You home?” he called out loudly, hurriedly closing the door behind him, a violent gust of wind rattling the door frame as it swung shut. He bent down to unlace his shoes, pulling them off one at a time and placing them to one side. No wonder he’d been feeling so uncomfortable. The bottom of each shoe was soaked through to the point that, if he turned them upside down, he was sure he’d be able to tip a substantial amount of water onto the floor. “Prom?” he called again. It didn’t seem as if he was home but the last thing Gladio wanted to do was give him a fright- who knew what Prompto would do if he thought there was a random stranger in his apartment in the middle of a thunderstorm?

Gladio made his way into the bathroom, leaving a trail of wet steaks and footprints behind him. Pulling his shirt over his head, he dropped it in the bottom of the shower, making a note to hang it up to dry later. He grabbed a towel and quickly patted his upper body dry before wrapping it around his hair and rubbing at it roughly. He was in the process of attempting to secure the towel around his hair in some sort of turban in the way same way Iris always did, cursing the fact that it was far more difficult than she made it look, when he heard a sound coming from the bedroom. So Prompto was home after all- probably doing something to try and distract himself from the storm outside. The kid watched far too many horror movies and Gladio knew for a fact that, secretly, he was terrified of thunder and lightning. Not that he would ever admit it…

Giving up on the towel, choosing to simply push his hair back and out of his eyes instead, he padded across to the bedroom and was just about to open his mouth to call Prompto’s name when he heard another sound, a second voice this time. A girl’s voice. Gladio covered his mouth and swallowed his laughter. He knew he should turn around and leave but he just couldn’t help himself. He paused a few metres from the door and listened. 

“So, what I do is…I wanna start with little pecks so…take your hand like this, like I’m doing right now and copy me…” A sound followed the words, like lips pressed against skin, the same sound repeating several times in quick succession. There was a pause and the girl started speaking again. “I start kissing them like that. Little pecks, nothing big, nothing too fancy, just small and cute. Then I…” 

Gladio chucked to himself. What on Eos was Prompto doing in there? 

“Another tip that I like to mention,” the voice continued, “Is that I like to kiss the lips individually, just pay attention to each of the lips- first the upper lip, just for a little while, and then the lower lip- just like this.” 

The kissing noises started up again and Gladio couldn’t resist any longer. He stepped towards the door, treading lightly so as to avoid detection, pushing it open the smallest of cracks and peering round. Sure enough, Prompto was there- sitting on his bed with his back to the door- but he was alone, staring intently at the laptop in front of him, his hand curled into a fist in front of his face. He watched with a smirk on his face as Prompto glanced from the laptop screen to his fist, bending forward and kissing his knuckles, clearly attempting to follow the instructions the mystery girl had just given him. 

A snort of laugher escaped Gladio's lips and, at the sound of it, Prompto jumped, leaping up from the bed and turning round.

“Gladio…what…um…how long have you been there?” Prompto was blushing, his cheeks suddenly pink like a spring rose, the blooming colour particularly cute, Gladio thought, against his freckled skin. Prompto bit his lower lip and looked away, the pink blush darkening to a crimson red as he glanced towards his laptop. “I…um…” He looked up again, eyes wide as if he’d just realised something. “You won’t say anything about this to Noct, will you? Please, Gladio. I…”

“Relax, Blondie.” Gladio smiled what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “My lips are sealed. What were you doing anyway? I mean… you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to but maybe it’s something I can help you with? The internet isn’t always the most reliable source of information, you know?” He chuckled, hoping it might break the tension a little.

“I…um… I don’t think you can help with this…” Prompto sat back down on the bed and crossed his legs, leaning forward so that his head rested in his hands and his bangs flopped down over his forehead, a blonde veil covering his eyes. He peered up at Gladio through his hair, the beautiful violet irises that Gladio loved so much almost completely hidden. “It’s…well, it’s a bit embarrassing to be honest…”

“Surely it can’t be that bad!” Gladio laughed again, stopping abruptly when Prompto covered his face with his hands and drew his knees up to his chest, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to dig himself a hole and climb into it. “Sorry, Prom. I’m not laughing at you, I promise.” Gladio moved over to the bed and perched awkwardly on the end of it, placing a hand on Prompto’s shoulder and squeezing gently. “And like I said, you don’t have to…”

“I was trying to learn how to kiss!” Prompto blurted out. “I found this video, and it seemed like the girl knew what she was talking about, and…” He buried his face in his hands again, his voice muffled as he continued. “I know it sounds stupid but I just wanna get better at it, you know?” 

“You’ve kissed people before, right?” Gladio reached up to brush Prompto’s hair away from his forehead, smoothing it back from his face, his fingers lingering over the top of his ear as they tucked a stray strand of hair behind it. It felt strange, being this intimate with someone he’d barely spent any time alone with until now, but, somehow, it wasn’t unpleasant. If he was honest with himself, it felt comfortable, as if they’d known each other for far longer than they actually had. It just felt right

“Yeah but… I just don’t think I’m any good at it. And there’s this person I really like but… he’s way out of my league and I…”

“Blondie- look at me.” Gladio slid along the bed so he was sitting closer to Prompto, placing his hands on both shoulders and twisting his body round to face him. “Prom…” Prompto looked up, his knees still hugged to his chest and his eyes sparkling with tears which, for now at least, he seemed to be doing a pretty good job of holding back. “This person, whoever they are, would be lucky to have you. Anyone would.”

“I… I don’t think so.” Prompto shook his head, his lower lip trembling as he fought to contain his emotion. 

“Are you kidding me?” Gladio chuckled, placing two fingers under Prompto’s chin and gently tilting his head up so that he was forced to make eye contact. “You know how beautiful you are, right?” He ran his thumb over the freckles that danced across Prompto’s nose and cheeks, the heat of his blushing skin pleasantly warm against Gladio’s cool finger tips. 

“I’m… I’m not,” Prompto mumbled, tugging his head out of Gladio’s grip. “You’re just being kind…” He turned away again, but not quickly enough to hide the small, shy smile that emerged on his lips, in spite of all his protestations. 

“You really think I’m the sort of person who lies just to be nice?”

“No…I guess… I guess I’ve just never really thought too many good things about the way I look.” Prompto uncurled himself and shuffled forwards so his legs dangled off the bed, his thigh pressing against the cold, still-damp material of Gladio’s running shorts. 

“Then you clearly aren’t seeing what everyone else sees.” Gladio smiled as he took in Prompto’s appearance: the slender yet muscular shoulders that he’d seen first hand to be strong enough to wield every gun and piece of machinery that had been placed into his hands during his Crownsguard training; those unusual violet irises which sparkled as if they’d somehow managed to encompass a thousand diamonds; freckles swirling over smooth, soft skin, a set of constellations that Gladio wanted to get to know better. “I wish you could see what I see.”

“Yeah?” Prompto looked down at the ground as he smiled, nibbling again on his lower lip as he took in Gladio’s words.

“Yeah.” Gladio nodded, tentatively reaching out and placing a hand on Prompto’s leg. “You’re perfect, Prom. Inside and out. Never let anyone else tell you otherwise.”

“But the kissing…”

“I’m sure you’re as good at kissing as anyone, Prom,” Gladio chuckled, stroking one finger slowly across the bare skin of Prompto’s leg, making patterns as drew lines from one freckle to the next. “But if you really want to get better…well, I don’t think there’s a single video in the whole of Eos that can help you with that!”

“So what do I do then?” Prompto looked up in surprise, eyes wide and questioning.

“Best way to get better at kissing? It’s all about practise.” Gladio raised one eyebrow, moving his hand from Prompto’s leg to his lips, letting his fingertips dust over them so lightly that they made just a shadow of contact.

Prompto sighed dramatically and let his head flop forward so that his chin rested against his chest knocking Gladio’s hand out of the way.

“What’s wrong?” Gladio let his arm drop by his side, his words laced with concern as he tried to deduce what he’d done wrong. If he’d crossed a line, he hadn’t meant to. He couldn’t help his attraction but he supposed he should have done a better job at hiding it. The physical intimacy had clearly been a mistake, something that Prompto hadn’t wanted, and the last thing he’d wanted to do was upset him. “I’m sorry, I…”

“How am I supposed to practise when I have no-one to practise with!” Prompto cried, slamming his hands down on the bed in frustration. 

“What?”

“The kissing!” Prompto exclaimed, glancing up at Gladio, his brow wrinkled in frustration. “You said it yourself- if I want to get better, I have to have someone to practise with. And I don’t. I don’t have anyone.”

“Prom…” Gladio bit his lip, pretty sure that what he was about to say was completely inappropriate. “I probably shouldn’t say this, and please don’t think you have to say yes, but if you need a practice partner…” His voice trailed off. What the fuck was he doing? This was Noct’s best friend! And Prompto already had someone that he liked, that he was trying to impress. This was a mistake. 

He stared down at the floor for what felt like hours, the silence that had fallen over the room enough to make him wish he could turn back time and make a more sensible decision: the decision to just keep his mouth shut. When he eventually plucked up the courage to look at Prompto, he wished he hadn’t. He was staring straight at him, eyes wide and mouth open, an expression of shock etched across his face. “Sorry…forget I said anything. It was a shitty idea anyway.” He stood up, tugging the towel more tightly around him and wandering over to the window- anything to avoid having to meet Prompto’s gaze. Never in his life had he felt as embarrassed as he was now. 

“But…what if I don’t want to forget it?” Prompto’s voice was quiet, his words nearly lost in the silence. Gladio heard footsteps and felt a hand press up against the small of his back, warm, soft skin against his own, which was still cold from the rain. “I… did you mean it?”

Gladio swallowed. It was time for honesty. “Look, Prom. I know we don’t know each other all that well and I never actually had any intention of telling you this, but…” He ran his hand over the back of his neck and took a deep breath, clearing his throat before continuing. “I think I’ve made it pretty obvious this evening that I’m incredibly attracted to you but, more than that, I like you. I like you a lot, actually.” Gladio continued to stare out of the window, focusing on a solitary tree across the street as it was beaten and battered by the wind. He held his breath as he waited for Prompto’s response wishing, not for the first time, that he’d kept quiet about the whole thing, that he’d just kept it a secret, something that nobody ever knew apart from him.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Prompto’s hand still rested on Gladio’s back, his fingers delicately massaging circles across his skin, lightly skimming the surface, tickling and sending a shiver right down Gladio’s spine. 

“Because of Noct, I guess,” Gladio replied, tearing his eyes away from the tree as he forced himself to turn to face Prompto. “You’re his first friend- his first proper friend, anyway- and I didn’t want him thinking I was trying to ruin that.” He felt his cheeks flush and found himself wondering if they were as pink as Prompto’s. “Besides,” he chuckled, “I didn’t think you’d be interested. Better to save myself the embarrassment and just try to forget about it. Self preservation, you know?”

“Yeah…”. Prompto looked at Gladio thoughtfully, reaching up and spiralling a loose strand of hair around one of his fingers, twisting it round and round before releasing it to leave a tiny curl that pinged back into place. It was something he did whenever he was concentrating, and Gladio loved to watch him do it. He had so many little habits that Gladio found endearing but, of them all, this was probably his favourite. “So…funny story,” he giggled nervously. “I thought you didn’t even like me. For a while, I thought you didn’t even want me to be around Noct.” He looked up through the curtain of hair that had fallen back down over his forehead, his eyes bright and hopeful as they met his own.

“Well I think we can safely say that’s not true,” Gladio laughed, resisting the urge to reach out and brush Prompto’s hair out of his eyes. He paused, unsure what to say but, at the same time, eager to make sure that there was no awkwardness between them, for Noct’s sake if not for their own. ‘Look, Prom…”

“So… can I kiss you?” The second half of the sentence came out in a rush, in a mixture of excitement and embarrassment.

Gladio watched him closely. He looked happy, that much was certain- happier, in fact, than Gladio had seen him all evening. “Are you sure that’s what you want?

“I’m sure,” Prompto murmured breathlessly, an eagerness behind his eyes that made them twinkle even more than usual, the violet seeming to darken to a vivid shade of purple unlike anything that Gladio had ever seen.

“Good,” Gladio whispered, running a hand down the side of Prompto’s face, his thumb sweeping across his lips, the contact sending sparks of electricity from the very tip of his thumb through to the rest of his body. 

Gladio’s hands drifted to Prompto’s hips, settling there and pulling him closer. He heard Prompto inhale sharply, but he didn’t pull away, instead nuzzling against Gladio’s chest, hair soft and fluffy as it brushed against his skin. Prompto pulled back, wrapping his arms around Gladio’s neck and pulling himself up until he was standing on tiptoes. 

“You still want this?” Gladio brushed the hair away from Prompto’s ear to whisper into it, his lips drifting just above Prompto’s cheek in a butterfly of a kiss.

Prompto nodded, the smallest movement of the head, one that would have been imperceptible if Gladio hadn’t been looking for it. Gladio pressed his lips against Prompto’s- soft, gentle, a wave of warmth filling him up, rushing to every corner of his body. He felt Prompto’s hands tighten around his neck, fingers intertwined in the hair at the base of his head as he pulled him in closer, the soft kiss becoming deeper and more passionate.

When they eventually pulled apart, they were both breathless, skin flushed and eyes bright as they stared at each other.

“Was that… was it okay?” Prompto bit his lower lip again, a small smile spreading across his face as he looked up at Gladio

“Let’s just say I don’t think you need to worry about getting better at kissing,” Gladio chuckled, stroking back Prompto’s hair before placing another quick kiss on his lips. 

Prompto giggled as he returned the kiss. “But we can still practise, right?” He rested his head against Gladio’s chest and wrapped his arms around his waist, looping one finger underneath the bottom of the towel and running it down his spine, the touch so delicate that it took all Gladio’s strength not to let out a moan of pleasure. 

Gladio put his hands on Prompto’s shoulders and eased him away, holding him at arms length as he looked him up and down. Gods, he was so beautiful. How could someone so perfect have so little confidence in themself? Gladio shook his head, his smile suddenly becoming a frown as he remembered something that Prompto had said earlier. “What about the other guy?”

“Huh?” Prompto pulled away and looked up at Gladio in confusion, the beginning of the evening clearly a distant memory, something that had been all but forgotten.

“The other guy. You said before that there was someone you liked- that’s why you wanted to practise kissing, remember?”

“Oh…” Prompto looked down at the floor, a small, embarrassed giggle escaping his lips. “That was… I mean… This person…the one I like… it’s… well, it’s you, okay? You’re the one I like, the one I want to impress.”

“Well,” Gladio grinned again, the laughter welling up inside him as he watched Prompto shuffle his feet in embarrassment, only making eye contact when Gladio took his hand, lacing their fingers together and running his fingers across his knuckles before placing it on his chest, right above his heart . “In that case, we can definitely practise. In fact, I’d say we’d should start right now.”

“Right now?”

“You got something more important to do?” Gladio raised one eyebrow in amusement, a smirk on his face as he placed one hand back on Prompto’s hips, feeling the muscles beneath it tremble in anticipation.

“Nope. Absolutely not. Nothing at all.” 

Gladio looked at Prompto, allowing his restless fingers to come up to touch his hair. He stroked his cheek and his lips parted to allow his thumb to trace a line along his lower lip. Prompto’s hand reached up to squeeze Gladio’s, who felt breath on his thumb followed by a slow blink that signalled desire. Leaning down to press another firm kiss, more passionate this time, on Prompto’s lips, he closed his eyes, shooting a quick ‘thank you’ to whichever of the gods had decided that tonight was the night for a storm. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel the curve of Prompto’s lips as they twisted into a smile to match his own.

And later, as they lay together on the couch, wrapped up in each other’s arms as they waited for the storm to pass, Gladio had never felt happier.

“I’m glad you told me,” Prompto whispered sleepily, snuggling closer and pulling the blanket up around them, eyelashes tickling Gladio’s arm as his eyes flickered closed.

“Me too, Blondie,” Gladio murmured in reply, stroking his hand over the freckles on Prompto’s shoulder as he sighed happily. “Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> All comments and feedback are massively appreciated
> 
> [Come and chat on tumblr](https://butterfly-girl86.tumblr.com/). I'm friendly and love talking about these boys.


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